by kirk and editable by anyone, 7 pages, 0 comment. Modified on .

As a native Chinese from Beijing, I know a thing or two about real Chinese food. This notebook recommends good authentic (as authentic as can be on this side of the Pacific) Chinese restaurants in the Bay Area, tips, and what dishes to order.

Contents (hide)

1. Four Schools of Chinese Cuisine
2. Joy Luck Place 醉香居
3. Everyday Beijing Restaurant
4. Shanghai Delight
5. Old Manarin Islamic Restaurant
6. Shanghai Dumpling
7. Top100 Chinese Restaurants in USA
8. Comments

1. Four Schools of Chinese Cuisine

   First off, what's wrong with Americanized Chinese food? Well, the food is made extremely spicy or sweet or salty, diminishing other nuance of genuine Chinese cuisine. There are a number of "schools" of Chinese food mainly based on geographic areas of China. Each school offers a huge varieties of dishes. It is painful to see people confine themselves to "Kung Pao Chicken", "Broccoli Beef", and "Sweet and Sour Pork" and call that an experience of Chinese food.
   
   Philosophically, Chinese want our food to be something more divine than just the ingredients. We give them metaphoric names and add exotic condiment. I hear Americans complain not knowing what is in the dish. In the West, people usually enjoy tasting the original flavor, so chicken, fish, or vegetables are lightly seasoned, hence they are too bland. Many Chinese are appalled to see Westerners eat salads at first -- hmm, they eat raw grass! It is probably helpful to know this difference in perspectives.
   
   The four major schools of Chinese cuisine are:
   
   1. Sichuan cuisine originated from Sichuan in Southwestern China characterized by its spiciness.
   
   2. Shanghai cuisine originated from Shanghai in Eastern China characterized by its mildness and emphasis on using rice as the main staple.
   
   3. Cantonese cuisine originated from Canton in Southern China characterized by sea food and dim sum. This is probably the most frequently seen in the U.S. simply because Cantonese were the first people who came over to work on the railroads.
   
   4. Shandong cuisine originated from Northern China characterized by intense flavor and emphasis on using wheat as the main staple.

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2. Joy Luck Place 醉香居

   
   
   10911 N Wolfe Road
   Cupertino Village
   Cupertino, CA 95014
   (408) 255-6988
   M-F 11-2:30 5:30-9:30
   Sat, Sun 10-2:30 5:30-9:30
   
   Cantonese food. Dim sum at lunch.
   
   This place offers the best Cantonese food, particularly dim sum. Expect to wait for up to an hour on weekends. The trick is to show up within half hour of when it opens, which is 10:00am. You'll also have plenty of parking spaces at that time.
   
   On weekdays they have daily specials for dinner.
   
   Service is not outstanding, but it is not a big deal for me. Their food is so good that it more than offsets that shortcoming. By the way, most Chinese think service is an overrated concept anyway -- do you go to a restaurant for the food or for the furniture (translating: things other than food)?
   
   The URL is not for the restaurant but its affiliated diner next door. They serve the same food, but the diner is good for an informal quick eat.
   
   Try these at a sit-down dinner:
   
   Steamed Fish: rock cod, channel cod, cabazon, black bass
   Ginger & scallion crab: dungeness, crystal, Alaska king
   
   Dessert
   Chilled coconut gelatine with soy bean
   Chilled mango pudding
   Baked tapioca pudding with lotus paste
   

   http://www.222.to/joyluckplace/

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3. Everyday Beijing Restaurant

   637 South "B" Street
   San Mateo, CA 94401
   (650) 373-7878
   
   One of the few places for authentic food from Beijing.
   
   Try these:
   
   House special marinated pork
   Jing dong pork pie
   Pork/beef wrap
   Chive pies
   Wheat meal biscuit soup
   Chive fish dumplings
   
   Ask for daily specials chalked up on the board in the restaurant.
   
   The chef was an engineer who got tired of the daily grind in Silicon Valley and decided to try his hand at offering his hometown cooking skills to the public. Ask to talk to him and get his recommendations. There is nothing better he would rather be doing!
   

   http://www.everydaybeijing.com

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4. Shanghai Delight

   218 Barber Court
   Milpitas, CA 95035
   (408) 434-6888
   
   Shanghainess food.
   
   Typical dishes:
   
   Shanghai smoked fish
   Nan King style salted duck
   Bean curd with vegetable
   Diced chicken in wine sauce
   
   Fried gluten stuffed with pork
   Salted pork bamboo shoot casserole
   Shanghai style special sweet rice
   
   

   http://shanghaidelight.C-R-N.com

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5. Old Manarin Islamic Restaurant

   Absolutely the best place for authentic Beijing cuisine. We make all kind of excuses to take a trip to the City from South Bay to eat here.
   
   3132 Vicente Street
   (between 42nd and 43rd Ave.)
   San Francisco, CA 94116
   Tel. (415) 564-3481
   
   Must try:
   
   1. Beijing style hot pot: lamb slice and vegetables in traditionally charcoal heated copper hot pot
   
   2. Hot braised lamb-leg: on a bed of cabbage. The owner boasted that they lose money on each order because the sheep was blessed and ingredients were top-notch.
   
   3. Peking beef pancake
   
   4. Bean curd in warm pot: for something light.
   
   5. Fried sweet cakes: dessert. Sticky rice with crispy crust and red bean paste and pine nuts fillings.
   
   

   http://blogs.kqed.org/food/2006/03/23/old-mandarin-islamic-restaurant-info/

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6. Shanghai Dumpling

   12172 Saratoga-Sunnyvale Rd.
   Saratoga, CA 95070
   Tel. (408) 253-2232
   
   Good Shanghai cuisine. Small room but a popular place, so avoid peak hours.
   
   Appetizers: Marinated duck, smoked fish, mixed malan with tofo, vegetarian goose
   
   Dim Sum: Steamed pork bun, Shanghai wonton soup, assorted egg rolls, eight treasure rice pudding
   
   

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7. Top100 Chinese Restaurants in USA

   Top 100 Chinese restaurants in the U.S.
   
   

   http://top100.c-r-n.com/default.asp

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